Food labeling in Ecuador: implementation, results, and pending actions/Etiquetado de alimentos en Ecuador: implementacion, resultados y acciones pendientes

• Published in: Revista panamericana de salud pública 2017-06, Vol.41 (3)
• Main Authors: Diaz, Adrian Alberto, Veliz, Paula Mariana, Jones, Cecilia Vaca, Rivas-Marino, Gabriela, Mafla, Carina Vance, Altamirano, Luz Maria Martinez
• Format: Article
• Language: Spanish
• ISSN: 1020-4989

Noncommunicable diseases are the world's leading cause of death, responsible for 38 million deaths in 2012. This epidemic is primarily associated with smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, sedentary lifestyle, and changes in dietary patterns, characterized by diets high in sugar and saturated fat, typical of processed foods and sugar-sweetened beverages, plus low intake of fruits and vegetables. Ecuador is no exception to this epidemiological profile or to changes in eating patterns. Thus, Ecuador's government designed and implemented an action plan aimed at changing the obesogenic environment, which includes six strategic lines. One of these is implementation of a traffic-light nutritional labeling system for processed foods, in late 2014, aimed at guaranteeing people's right to timely, clear, accurate, and non-deceptive information on the content and characteristics of these foods. This article analyzes implementation of processed food labeling and results to date, and proposes complementary measures needed to reach the goal in the National Plan for Good Living, in light of new scientific evidence and different agreements and regulatory frameworks in our Region. Methods included a literature and documentary review, key informant interviews, and analysis and processing of secondary sources. Keywords Food labeling; public health policy; Ecuador. Las enfermedades no transmisibles representan la principal causa de muerte en el mundo entero, siendo responsables de 38 millones de las defunciones registradas en 2012. Esta epidemia se asocia, principalmente, al tabaquismo, al consumo excesivo de alcohol, el sedentarismo y cambios en el patron alimentario, caracterizado por el consumo de dietas con un elevado contenido de azucar y grasas saturadas, propio de los alimentos procesados y bebidas azucaradas, sumado a una escasa ingesta de frutas y hortalizas. El Ecuador no escapa a ese perfil epidemiologico ni a los cambios en el patron de consumo de alimentos, por lo cual, el Estado Ecuatoriano diseno e implemento un plan de accion orientado a modificar el entorno obesogenico, que contempla seis lineas estrategicas, una de las cuales es la implementacion de un sistema de etiquetado nutricional tipo semaforo a los alimentos procesados, a finales de 2014, orientado a garantizar el derecho de las personas a la informacion oportuna, clara, precisa y no enganosa sobre el contenido y caracteristicas de estos alimentos. El presente articulo analiza el proceso de implemen